The county's flag was designed in 1991 by Rosemarie Hefner. She won a flag designing contest sponsored by the Sesquicentennial Central Planning Committee. There were 54 entries and her design was the unanimous winner.

The design has a background based on the State Flag. The County Seal is superimposed over the red, white, and blue stripes. Ms Hefner said: "As a lifelong citizen of Catawba County, I am proud of the heritage and lifestyles this area has to offer. Our county seal is symbolic of our strong religious beliefs, our pride in outstanding educational opportunities and our farming and manufacturing growth. The background of my design is the layout of our state flag, since Catawba County is part of the beautiful state of North Carolina."

The Board of Commisioners adopted the flag as the official Catawba County flag.

The flag was then made by Maxine Weeks of the Catawba Flag and Pole Company. She estimates that 35 hours of labor went into the large flag (8 feet by 12 feet) and about 15 hours into the smaller one. The flag was raised on January 26, 1992 during a special ceremony at the Government Center in Newton.